Understanding which ayurvedic type you belong to can help you lose those stubborn kilos. In a three-part series, Dr Shikha Sharma takes us through each of the three types and suggest remedies.

Understanding which ayurvedic type you belong to can help you lose those stubborn kilos. In a three-part series, Dr Shikha Sharma takes us through each of the three types and suggest remedies.

Ayurveda believes that the human constitution falls into three broad categories, which roughly correspond to three elements of nature: air (vata), fire (pitta) and water (kapha). People are broadly divided into vata, pitta and kapha type and this affects how they process food. For example, for a body that has kapha energy, even a simple glass of milk can trigger weight gain.

All in the elementsIn order to understand one's body, it is important to understand its constitution (what ayurveda calls prakriti and what modern medicine calls genetic make-up). The body type is assessed by an ayurvedic physician who checks the pulse count (the quality and number of beats), assesses the person's digestion pattern, sleep quality, temperament, memory, body structure etc. This helps the physician to identify an individual's constitution and prescribe remedies.

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Vata PrakritiPeople of vata prakriti are mostly lean, with a narrow bone structure. They mostly have frizzy thin hair and dry skin.

Their digestive system is delicate, which means that they can't eat a lot. Vata people are prone to anxiety, which has a detrimental effect on their digestive system. Due to their inherent restlessness, they may develop stress-coping behaviours such as smoking or consuming alcohol.Vata people are emotional, restless and active. But they also tend to be very creative. They must eat small frequent meals because they tend to feel hungry at shorter intervals.

VATA AND WEIGHT GAIN

*Vata prakriti people tend to gain weight only much later in life, mostly due to an unbalanced diet. Here are the prime triggers*Not eating on time or consuming too much sugar during the day to stave off hunger, or eating too much junk food.* Consuming too much hard liquor.* Eating too many sweets.* Travelling a lot, eating heavy dinners and a lot of sweets at night. * Not sleeping on time.

From HT Brunch, June 8Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunchConnect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch